The 2025 Sugar Bowl, a quarterfinal College Football Playoff game between Georgia and Notre Dame, has officially been postponed, the Sugar Bowl committee confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.
The announcement came hours after police said 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar of Texas rammed a rented pickup truck into a crowd of people ringing in the new year on Bourbon Street. The FBI confirmed Wednesday afternoon Jabbar was in possession of explosives and an ISIS flag and was dressed in military garb during the attack.
The suspect was killed in a firefight with police that left two officers hospitalized.
With security tight in the city and with the Caesars Superdome locked down for obvious security reasons, the Allstate Sugar Bowl official X (formerly Twitter) account announced just before 2:40 p.m. ET Wednesday that the game would be postponed.
“The 2025 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl has been postponed until tomorrow. We will communicate further details as they become available,” the bowl’s committee said.
The account had earlier released the following statement:
The Sugar Bowl Committee is
devastated by the terrible events from early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available.
ESPN, citing a comment from Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley, reported the game was tentatively scheduled to be played on Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. ET.
Notre Dame and Georgia both released statements about Wednesday’s attack.
Georgia said:
We are deeply saddened by the senseless violence that occurred in New Orleans. All team personnel and members of the official team travel party have been accounted for. Currently, we are in contact with local law enforcement as well as representatives from the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff and are continuing to gather more information. Our prayers are with all those who traveled here for the Sugar Bowl and entire New Orleans community.
Notre Dame stated:
Our prayers are with the family members and loved ones of all those impacted by the terrible attack in New Orleans early this morning. We also pray for all those injured and extend our deepest gratitude to the brave first responders who risked their lives to protect others. To be in solidarity with those who suffer is to exemplify the spirit of Notre Dame. Today, we are in solidarity withall those impacted by this tragedy.
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